On Election Day in Gainesville, voters make voices heard

On Election Day in Gainesville, as droves of voters cast their ballots in national and local races, Alex Visaggio, a UF construction management junior, hung a Donald Trump campaign sign over the front door of his house.

The 24-year-old, who voted for the Republican presidential candidate, said he was hoping to sway undecided voters passing by Southwest Sixth Avenue.

The long-time Republican said his friend’s Trump banner was recently vandalized with eggs, which emboldened him to hang his. To him, Trump’s unwavering political views make him a more suitable presidential candidate than Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who Visaggio said often changes her mind on issues.

"I've been a Republican my entire life," he said. "My mom has been a Republican her entire life, (but) she's voting for Hillary."

Apart from deciding who would wind up in the White House, voters are also choosing candidates to represent them in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. They are also selecting the next Alachua County sheriff, among other ballot initiatives.

Tonight, Visaggio will watch the election results with his friends at 101 Cantina, where supporters of both parties will take free red or blue shots of alcohol as results from each state are announced.

Nicholas Bruce, a member of Ignite Life Center, stood outside First Lutheran Church, a polling center, campaigning for Keith Perry’s run for the Florida Senate despite not wanting to vote for him.

Bruce, 18, said he admires Perry’s initiative to rehabilitate prisons, but that he cannot overlook a video he saw of the candidate slapping a man who took down one of his political signs.

Speaking about the presidential election, Bruce said he’s happy it’s almost over. A Puerto Rican and an African-American, he said the election has caused tension between races, which has been especially pronounced because the majority of his church is Latino.

"I see how easily divided we are as people, communities — even churches," he said.

Bruce said not many church members would vote for Trump following the controversial comments the candidate has made about immigrants. However, Bruce said he prefers Trump over Clinton because Clinton doesn’t support his personal beliefs, including opposition to abortions.

"I know the guy has a notorious record,” he said, noting he disagreed with Trump’s comments on Mexican immigrants. “To be in leadership, you have to be bold. He's bold."

Chris Ott, a 62-year-old Gainesville resident, campaigned for the Alachua County Democratic Party outside of the Florida Museum of Natural History on Tuesday. He said he’d been there since 7 a.m., reminding UF students and young voters the ballot holds more than just the next president.

“I feel like I’m making a difference here,” Ott said.

Outside the Phillips Center, Ott got involved in the election after hearing Trump announce his candidacy and call Mexicans rapists and criminals. A former kindergarten teacher of 20 years at Archer Elementary School, he said Hispanic children worked just as hard in his classes as any other students. He campaigned for three half-days of early voting as well, educating voters at Millhopper Library.

As Ott handed pamphlets out, he walked up to a woman in a Wendy’s employee uniform and asked if she was coming to vote, handing her a thin blue flyer and pointing her to the entrance.

“Thank you for voting,” Ott said.

At the Reitz Union, Bradley Kutsmeda, a UF biology freshman, said he waited about 25 minutes to reach the end of the line to vote. He said he felt like it was important to vote in this election.

“I think it’s one of the most American things to do,” the 19-year-old said. “I feel like one of the candidates doesn’t deserve to be president,” referring to Clinton.

Linda McGurn, the wife of Democratic congressional candidate Ken McGurn, stood outside the Phillips Center holding a sign that said “Vote for my husband.”

Campaign members made the sign for her, she said, wielding it while she spoke to voters outside.

“It seemed a little too cutesy, but now I like it,” she said, after stepping away to ask a voter, “Do you know who you’re voting for down the ballot? Three-time Gator.”

By 2 p.m., McGurn said she had been standing outside the center for three hours, and she had been campaigning all over Gainesville since 7 a.m.

“I’m just so glad it’s over,” she said of the general election. “We got in it. We’ve been in it, and we’re working hard."